FOOTBALL. (Br ONLOKER.) i AFscratch >match was -playedon. the show oval, on Saturday last between mem bers and supposed members of the John son's Creek and Alexandra clubs. The afternoon was fine, perhaps a little too warm for the. winter sport. There was a fair attendance. Very little can be said of the play, it being the first match of the season. I noticed several strange faces in the field all of whom, with the exception of one (in goal) showed unmistakably that they have been at the game before. L. Johnson (Tohnson's' Creek) and T. Wood (Alexandra) captained the teams and E. Wilson had charge of the field. For an opening match the long kicking was excellent, but scores of kicks went for nothing simply becauselthe players did not ueo sufficient judgment. Repeatedly the ball was sent in utterly useless parts of the ground, and often in the direction of an opponent. At times the play was rough, and jhdginig from what I sawon Saturday last, one or two men. require watching, one ...

1ANGLED WILLS. UNRAVELLED IN COURT. The Supreme Court last week disposed of two cases relating to wills which had pre. sented difficulties of interpretation. The first was that of Thomas Nilen, a farmer, who died at Alexandra in June last. By his will he directed that all debts should be paid by his nephew, Thomas M. Nilen, and that in consideration of that pay. ment the nephew should have the free use of all the testator's property, excepting one allotment, for such time as he should retain possession of. certain land adjoinini the testator's. If he disposed of this adjoining land, or refused to pay the debts, then the property was to be sold and disposed of o'therwise, part being given to the local Roman Catholio Church. The dispositions being peculiar, doubts arose as to whether the nephewtook the land absolutely oronly for life, or only !whilst he occupied the adjoining property. Mr. .Tustice Cussen, in March last..held that the plain words of the will were effective and the nep...

EMPIRE DAY. BRITONS NEVER, NEVER SHALL BE SLAVES ( Evznr man is born with, mdre or less, a spark of sentiment implanted in his breast for the country of his birth, and we would give but little for him if he were otherwise. And as with individuals so with nations. The nation whose mem bors are not imbued with a healthy patrio tic sentiment, is doomed to decadence and ultimately distinction. In this view then the celebration of Emdire Day is aesafe guarantee o0f the.solldtty -of- the .British Empire.. Britons all the world over cele brate it, believing as they do it is the day set apart for the celebration of the responsibilities of Imperial federation and to mark the extension and consolidatioin of the dominions. In union lies strength and progress and expansion, while recent happenings scen, to show unmistakably that it is absolutely essential, to the main tenance of the Empire's proud position in the march of civilisation. To foster this spirit has become the aim of modern statesma...

SALEXANDRA REEFS COMPANY. The new mine manager (Mr. E. Rodgers) of the above company, every week gives assurance of the sound, practical work he is doing. He is a thorough miner, having been at the "game" from a very early period .of his .life, in fact, it is stated, his dad carned him down a.claim on his back. Each mine manager, in taking charge of this claim has had to listen to all kinds of * fairy tales of the past as affects the several claims constituting the area worked by the present company. Local shareholders, directors and legal manager appear to lend an ear to those who "know something," (T) and in several cases the " tal. " has pr.ved wrong, especially in regard to certain work that Mr Rodgers has been carrying out lately, as will be understood below. It Is to be regretted that such ignorant meddlers are listened to, as it is fully 30 years (1872) since the shaft under notice was sunk. Several weeks since Mr Rogers was ap pointed mine manager and he has had a buny time ...

Visit of Ministerial Party to Buxton. K,: POSTONED TILL THE SPRING. It has been deemed advisable by the Healesville Railway League to postpone the Ministerial visit to Buxton until the Springtime, on. account of the month being so far advanced, and the great probability of having inclement weather. On the 14th inst., the secretary wrote to the Hon. E. tH. Cameron to that effect. On the same date Mr. Cameron had written to the leavue, stating that he, accompanied by the .Hon. Minister of Mines, would visit Buxton and district on the 21st inst., returning to Melbourne the following day. On receipt of the loneaguo's letter, Mr. Cameron telegraphed that he had can celled the arrangements, and under the same date wrote approving of the post ponement, the Ministers all being very busy at the present juncture, and stating that he would have a better chance of bringing a larger party in the Spring, which would be more satisfactory to the residents of the district, and the visitors would be ...

THE WINDFALL. The return of 32ozs. from 65 tons crushed at the local battery by the lucky proprietors (Moears. Clark an a Kent). was a surprise, and it is needless to say, highly payable. The claim is situate atScahby Gully. Work is being carried on and a further crushing will be put through shortly. Mr. Agnew, the well-known mining in. spector, died in Melbourne, on Sunday lest. The deceased gentleman, a few days. ago, paid a visit to the Morning Star works, and expressed himself as being satisfied with the tunnel now being put through the hill to intercept the claim on the other side. In describing the nature of the ground already broken through, he said it was one vast dyke and looked very promising. The deceased gentleman had been manager of several leading Bendigo claims and during his 18 years in the employ of the Government had proved himself a great friend of the working miners. The cause of his sudden death was pneumonia. He was a genial gentleman and during a conversation ...

District Football Assooliation. ,. MEETING 'OF DELEGATES. A meeting of the delogates of the football clubs in the Alexandra district 'was held at the Freemason's Hotel on Saturday evening last for the purpose of considering the advisability of forming a football association for this season. Present-J. Payne and A. Armstrong (Alexandra), E. Sampson and A. E. Stillman (Johnson's Creek), H. J. Buxton and H. Lewis (Thornton), G. Perry and VW. Martin (Yarck). Moved by Messrs. Lewis and Sampson 'that an association be formed and called the Alexandra District Football Associa. 'tion.-Carried. On the motion of Messrs. Armstrongand Stillman, Mr. Buxton was appointed president. Moved by Messrs. Sampson and Mar tin that Mr. J. Payne be appointed secretary and treasurer.-Carried. Moved by Mr. Payne and seconded by Mr. Armstrong, that the radius be 30 miles from local post offiee.-Messres Sampson and Lewis moved, as an amend. mnent, that the radius be 15 miles.-The amendment was carried. It was ...

THE JUNCTION REEFS CO. The above company washed up at the loeat battery. on Saturday last, after a trial crushing of 60 tons. The return was 2j dwts. to the ton. The company has a large reef to work on and are now preparing an other crushing which, it is believed, will be a great improvement on the first. The fall of rain lately experienced enabled 'the battery to be used, and judging from the amount of water stored, no difficulty is anti. cipated for some months to come. The legal managor, VMr Cain, and the chairman of directors were present at the washing up and expressed themselves as being satisfied with this trial crushing. Work is now being carried on under the mine manager, Mr Green, who has proved himself a thorough practical man.

Ihe Faa;sl~oas hSenady fo S.CO"Y 1, E0ITCI TIOTS, ASTHMA, &amp; CONSUMLPTION, Has the Largest Sale of any Chest Medicine in the World. Those who have taken this medicine are amazed at its wonderful influence. Its healing power is marvlou. Surs roanyorm of Bonchits, Coogh, Dfficultyolf B:reathing. Hoarseness, Pain or Soreness in thu Clis, experience deliiht.fu and il.- . liate relief; and to those who are .bjnjet to Colds on th Co h i t ;pt PiComplete Cure. It is mont comforn"tingln yin ir rijon in tthe m gii; atrength to those voie, ad It neither allowdsa LCoghor Asthl ibcomea&amp; i . . .. , .o ;P V I " er, irrivi'ioa in thc t . . .-4 it,. .n-n e, -„„t- »nbl ct e *,4, -L-h "'"chironJc nor Consumptlion to develop. Consumption has never been known to exist where nCoughs" have ben properl treated with this medicine. No ous should be without it. as, taken at the beginning a dose is generally sufficient, and a Complete Cure is certain. oBe nWpre of IdmitartiCon s I The great suc...

MARRIAGE. MACDONALD - HAMILTON.- On the 14th May, 1908, at Worrough, Trawool, by the Rev. Æneas Macdonald, brother of the bridegroom. John George Macdonald, eldest son of the late Rev. Professor Mac- donald, of Ormand College, to Annie Mac donald Hamilton, oldest daughter of the late J. B. Hamilton, Esq., of Doogallook Station, Doogalook.

At the last meeting of the Seymour shire council, Ors. Bayley and M'Kenzie submitted a motion that the salary of Mr. Muntz, secretary and engineer, be increased from £260 to £300. The whole of the councillors spoke in favor of the motion, which was carried unanimously. The ability shown by Mr. Muntz and the fact that there was a scarcity of comr petent engineers in the State were the chief reasons advanced for increasing the 6he salary. An old lady of Ryde said with glee, "From sickness and pains l am free ; I'm health and strong. And I mean to live long, With Laxo.Tonic Pills, do you see I" I~AXO-TONIC PILLS, laod ?id ad Gd-For sale by C. J. Christie, Universal Provider. LINSEED COMPOUND,' The Stock portRemedy for Coughs and Colds. Of 38 years' proven eficacy. The Marysvillo Athletic Sports Club held a meeting on 20th April without having obtained the consent of the Chief Secretary and the V.R.C. The explana. tion tendered was accepted as satisfactory, and it was decided to remove ...

FOOTBALL. TO.-MORo W'8 MATCH. Johnson's Creek will visit Yarok to play a friendly game, and Creek players are asked to be punctual in starting. The secretary of the Creek club ack" nowledges the receipt, of )Os, Gd., from ZA1Mr.; '7. -A?2Bkcor, as a donation towards t'he funds.'

W E have decided to mnake Extensive ALTERATIONS to our Premiacs in Grant Street. In a few days Dust, Bricks and Mortar will be flying in all directions. This would mean considerablo damage to our stock. In order to Avoid this we have decided to offer the WHOLE OF OUR , er Sftock AT -ACI' inormous Sacrifice ! Special Bargain Days : To-morrow &amp; following days -,' ..Note a Few "Prices -r-- »B ? Ladies' Blouses, from 101d. Ladies' Costumes, from 2s. 1ld Ladies' Corsets from Is. 6d. Girls' Dresses from s1. 6d. Double Width Dress Material fiom 4d. yd. Prints from 2s lid doz SPECIAL VALUE IN CALICOS. Ladies' Black Roman Satin Underskirts from 2s. 6d. Every Article Greatly Reduced. Don't Miss this Opportunity I Extra Assistants Engaged. J HSON'S (Late Crichton &amp; Co). THE RED HOUSE (REGISTE RED). GRANT STREET, ALEXANDRA. WTE have Just Opened a Large Consignment of Goods Suitable for the Present Season which we intend to offer at Prices Unheard of in this Distriot. The followi...

Iqlxandri &amp; i qn tanndatd NEC TEMERE NEC TIMIDE. FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1908. ACCORDING to the several reports of meetings of railway leagues held out side this district, one would think that the Trawool scheme was to be an ac complished fact, in the very near future. While we thoroughly endorse the scheme and are fully alive to the great benefits that are sure to accrue, and at the same time wish those de voting their time and money in advo cating the arious routes, every success, it is amusing to hear the prospects dilated upon that are in store for Alex andra when once the monster basin is filled. We are told that "the only "route the Seymour people had to "worry about was that from Alex "andra to Healesvillo "; again, speak ing of a proposed branch line through Strathbogie. an advocate for the Sey mour - Merton - Mansfield line, says: "The prospects of a branch liho through "Strathbogie appeared very remote, "and it would pay them (Avcnel) "better to thrown in their lot with "S...

SPORTING. LADIES' CRICKET. THORNTON V. ALEXANDRA. A large crowd of spectators assembled on the Thornton oval on Wednesday last, to witness the finish of the cricket match between the ladies of Alexandra and Thornton which was commenced on the local show grounds on the previous Wed-. nesday. However, on arrival at Thornton it was found that three of the Thornton players could not be present, and so that team decided to give the match to Alexandra as it was very much in favor of them, and commence a second game of eleven players aside. It was arranged that the leg-before-wicket rule should be enforced. The Alexandra team went to the wickets first, and lost one wicket for no runs, and they kept on falling cheaply, six being secured for 27, Miss Elsie Johnson being the only one to make a stand, compiling 10 runs by good cricket. The partnership of the Misses Vic. Wilmot and Lilian Johnson was most satisfactory, 13 runs being added before the seventh wicket fell. Miss Ains- sworth was ne...

PASTORAL LANDS, It has been known that the Lands De partment intended to cut up the large leases that, from time to time, have been granted to graziers in this and other parts of the State With this idea in view and at the same time desiring to obtain reliable information of the qual.iity of these particular areas, the Minister, a few weeks ago, deputed Messrs Mott and Storey, two oflicers of the department, to inspect the whole of the county of Wonnangatta, which embraces a portion of the Alexandra shire, inasmuch as it includes Ten Mile, Enoch's Point. Darlingtord and head of Jerusalem Creek. Eight days ego, these gentlemen, acconmpanied by Mir. Harry Nicholas, of Upper Thornton, commenced their task, which proved a very difficult one. Starting from Mt. Bulls, a very rough time was experienced owing to the snow and extreme coldness. The country towards the Ten Mile, Gaffney's Ureek, Woods' Point and along the Yarra Track was thoroughly inspected. The party made for Mt. Arnold and ...

TUESDAY. Mr. W. J. Colebatch, lecturing on "l a. nurca and Manuring," in the afternoon, to about sixty students, said that besides a general understanding of .tho functious of manures, and a knowledgo of their differ. ences in action, there is still a necessity for some information as to their handling before sowing. Nitrate of soda should never be sown at the same time as the seed is sown. , On as count of its immediate solubility, and the fact that it already is in a form in which plants use it, the nitrogen is litble to quickly leach out of the ground, anl he re moved in drainage waters. Under these circumstances, nitrate of soda has come to be generally used as a spring top.dlreooing, at which time there is an abundant root growth, and the nitrogen is made use of rapidly by the growing crop. Sulphate of ammonia should never b mixed with lime or any manure cohtaintng lime, such as Thomas' phosphato or wood ihes. Lime drives off the ammonia, and the quality of the fertilizer is th...

JOHNSON'S CREEK V. YARCK. This game was played on Saturday last, when the Creek journeyed to Yarck, to try conclusions. Both teams were fairly well represented, and an even and friendly game resulted. The first quarter Yarck put up 1 goal (Perry) to the Creek's 1 'behind. The black and white scored 2 •oals (Wilmot and L. Stillman) against their opponents' 1 goal (Perry) 1 behind during the second term. The third quarter ended-Creek. 1 goal (Wilmot) 3 behinds; Yarok, 1 goal (Arbithong). The last quarter was all in favor of the visitors, who kicked 1 goal (C. Johnson) 2 behinds to Yarck's nil. The final scores were 'Creek. 4 goals 6 behinds. 30 points. An enthusiast asks us to publish .the following, which he considers might be read, and the advice adopted with advant . age, by many of the younger players: '" Play with dash and determination and 'et be unselfish and manly, remembering that there is no necessity to go for an opponent instead of the balL Pick your man and pass quickly. ...